Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath’s bat-biting frontman turned reality TV star, dies aged 76
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British singer Ozzy Osbourne performs during the closing ceremony for the Commonwealth Games at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, central England, in August 2022.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
- Ozzy Osbourne, "The Prince of Darkness", frontman of Black Sabbath, has died at 76, selling over 100 million records.
- Infamous for on-stage antics and a drug-fuelled life, Osbourne later starred in "The Osbournes", reinventing himself.
- Osbourne acknowledged his excesses but refuted devil-worshipping claims, stating, "I'm just John Osbourne".
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LONDON - Ozzy Osbourne, frontman of 1970s heavy metal band Black Sabbath, earned his infamy biting the head off a bat on stage and pursuing a drug-fuelled lifestyle before reinventing himself as a loveable if often foul-mouthed reality TV star.
Known to fans as “The Prince of Darkness” and the “Godfather of Heavy Metal,” Osbourne has died at the age of 76, the BBC reported, citing a family statement.
“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” read the family’s statement.
“He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
The hell-raising singer, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, passed away just over two weeks after playing a farewell concert in his home city of Birmingham, England.
Osbourne kicked off his career blaring out Black Sabbath’s hits, from Paranoid to War Pigs to Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Those, plus a string of solo releases, saw him sell more than 100 million records worldwide.
The hard riffs and dark subject matter - from depression and war to apocalypse - combined with an instinct for Halloween theatrics. As a performer, Osbourne sprinkled audiences with raw meat and, in 1982, had his encounter with a bat thrown on stage by a fan.
He always insisted he thought it was a toy until he bit into it, realised his mistake and rushed to hospital for a rabies shot. He later sold branded bat soft toys with a removable head.
Osbourne was a regular target for conservative and religious groups concerned about the negative impact of rock music on young people. He always acknowledged the excesses of his lifestyle and lyrics - but poured scorn on the wilder reports that he was an actual devil-worshipper.
“I’ve done some bad things in my time. But I ain’t the devil. I’m just John Osbourne: a working class kid from Aston who quit his job in the factory and went looking for a good time,” he said in a 2010 biography.
John Michael Osbourne was the fourth of six children, growing up in Aston, in the city of Birmingham in central England. He struggled with dyslexia, left school at age 15, did a series of menial jobs, and at one point served a brief prison sentence for burglary.
Then came Black Sabbath.
“When I was growing up, if you’d have put me up against a wall with the other kids from my street and asked me which one of us was gonna make it to the age of 60, with five kids and four grandkids and houses in Buckinghamshire and California, I wouldn’t have put money on me, no f***ing way.”
It was those latter stages of his life that provided the setting for his reinvention in 2002 as the star of US TV show The Osbournes.
Cameras followed the ageing rock god ambling round his huge house, pronouncing on events in his heavy Birmingham accent and looking on bemused at the antics of his family - a format that won them all legions of new fans.
Osbourne’s family included wife and manager Sharon, five children including Jack, Kelly and Aimee, and several grandchildren.
(From left) Kelly, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne arrive for the Recording Academy and Clive Davis pre-Grammy gala at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 25, 2020.
PHOTO: AFP
He brought the curtain down on a wild career earlier this month when Black Sabbath rattled through their most iconic songs in front of an adoring crowd at Villa Park, home of Premier League football club Aston Villa.
Ozzy Osbourne is seen on a screen as he performs at the Black Sabbath's farewell show titled Back To The Beginning at Villa Park in Birmingham, Britain, July 5, 2025.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“It’s the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle... Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” Osbourne told the crowd, after finishing the set with Paranoid – the band’s most famous song. REUTERS, AFP
